A former New York police commissioner has said that Muslim Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is “infatuated” with “terrorists” including Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah and that she should be removed from office.

Bernard Kerik appeared on Fox News yesterday, where he added that as a member of Congress, “you can’t support terrorist organisations”, pointing to Omar’s appearance as a keynote speaker for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Since November 2014, the UAE has listed CAIR as a terrorist organisation, claiming that they are affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Saying it focuses on the civil rights of Muslims in America, CAIR has denied any links to the Brotherhood, calling the suggestion an Islamic stereotype.

In 2010, Kerik was sentenced to four years in prison for eight felony charges, including tax fraud and lying to White House officials.

One of two Muslim Congresswomen currently serving in office, Ilhan Omar has been the subject of criticism for her comments on Israel in recent months. Her criticism of pro-Israel lobbying groups like AIPAC saw her receive an increase in death threats through social media.

Today, Democrat presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, jumped to defend Omar, saying that: “It is not anti-Semitic to be critical of a right-wing government in Israel. That is not anti-Semitic.”

He also promised to create a “non-discriminatory society”, where all forms of prejudice, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, were stopped.

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